After two days of deliberation, the Vatican announced on Thursday that they have selected the new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. This is the first time in history an American-born citizen has been elected as a pope.
The pope can hold significant religious and political influence; especially to the 1.4 billion practicing catholics around the world. Some questions have been raised about the cardinal electors nominating an American pope, due to America’s immense political and economic influence across the globe.
Pope Leo XIV was previously known as Robert Prevost. Despite being born and raised in Chicago, Ill., Leo XIV served as a missionary in Peru for a combined amount of roughly 20 years, even becoming a naturalized Peruvian citizen in 2015.
Leo first taught as a priest in Peru before eventually becoming a bishop. Leo taught through the Augustianian order of the Catholic Church, which follows the teachings of St. Augustine of Hippo.
In 2023, Leo XIV was appointed as a cardinal by Pope Francis. In the Vatican, Leo’s job was high-profile in comparison to other cardinals. Leo served as the Vatican’s head of office for determining and examining new bishop nominations.
Over 130 cardinals held the responsibility of selecting a new pope. After each day of deliberation, the cardinals reveal their status through the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.
When the Sistine Chapel emits dark smoke, it means that the cardinals will continue deliberating and have not found the next pope. When the chapel emits white smoke, it indicates that a new pope has been selected.
What does a pope do, exactly?
Over roughly 2,000 years, there have been 266 popes. The average serving time for the previous two papacies was about 14 years.
While the election of a new pope is globally and culturally significant; those that are not Catholic may not be aware of what the responsibilities of the pope are.
The pope maintains a mixture of religious, political and recreational responsibilities.
When the pope is elected; they are considered the leader of the Catholic Church and head of the Holy See. The Holy See is simply the central government of the Catholic Church.
Some responsibilities of the pope include weekly blessings of tourists, appointment of cardinals, philanthropy, meeting with bishops worldwide and traveling.